PS4 Game Reviews
Review Stranger Things 3: The Game - Just Watch the Show
Stranger danger
We're pretty big fans of Stranger Things, the hit Netflix series about spooky shenanigans in small town America. The sumptuous visuals, wonderful characters, and compelling story keep us hooked, and we're always left wanting more. However, as much as we enjoy spending time in Hawkins with Dustin, Eleven, and the whole gang, the game...
Review Dragon Quest Builders 2 - A Rock Solid Sequel That's Every Bit as Addictive
Build it higher
Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a delightful sequel that -- pardon the pun -- builds on its predecessor in a lot of welcome ways. This isn't a huge leap forward by any stretch, but if you enjoyed the first Dragon Quest Builders, then you're probably going to love this. Right off the bat, Builders 2 does a great job of easing you into...
Review Sea of Solitude - Gorgeous Graphics, Generic Gameplay
Message in a bottle
The EA Originals program has been going strong these past couple of years. As its most high profile release, A Way Out was a fairly major success thanks to its unique take on co-operative gameplay, while smaller titles such as Fe and Unravel have helped to somewhat diversify EA’s portfolio beyond sports titles and Battlefield...
Review Sairento - A Fun, Kinetic Ninja Action Game for PSVR
Be a slicer and dicer while wearing your visor
PlayStation VR is seeing quite the resurgence recently; it seems like every month in 2019 we’ve been treated to an excellent new game or experience to enjoy when we put on our headset. Sairento looks to continue that hot streak, and offers a short but sweet burst of ninja justice on PSVR. Do you...
Review Heavy Rain - Moody Narrative Thriller Loses Its Edge in PS4 Release
Rain dunce
Republished on Tuesday 2nd July 2019: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of July's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Love it or loathe it, Heavy Rain is an important game. The drizzly depression session certainly didn't invent the idea of interactive drama – developer Quantic...
Review Detroit: Become Human - Quantic Dream's Android Adventure Is Its Finest Yet
Cage against the machine
Republished on Tuesday 2nd July 2019: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of July's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Despite its all-new setting and story, Detroit: Become Human’s unlikely to surprise Quantic Dream fans. While this interactive adventure sticks...
Review PES 2019: Pro Evolution Soccer - A Good But Safe Update on Konami's Football Sim
Sean Dyche-mann
Republished on Wednesday 26th June 2019: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of July's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Before even releasing to the public, PES 2019: Pro Evolution Soccer is at a severe disadvantage when compared to last year’s iteration. Konami has...
Review Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - The Finest Castlevania Game Never Made
Oh what a night
And breathe. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night – the long-awaited Koji Igarashi-helmed spiritual successor to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night – is finally here. After a worryingly long gestation period, some Kickstarter troubles, and numerous delays, we were concerned that Bloodstained was destined to disappoint. Fortunately,...
Review The Sinking City - Detective Dealings Shine Alongside Classic Lovecraftian Horror
Care for some afternoon tea, Reed?
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments is one of the most underrated games of the PlayStation 4’s early days. Its blend of personality, detective work, and hard-hitting conclusions should have taken the title much further than it did during a lacklustre 2014. That magic touch was most definitely lost on its open...
Review Judgment - Top Tier Yakuza Spin-Off Is a Superb Detective Thriller
The truth and nothing but the truth
SEGA's Yakuza Studio has done it again. The Japanese developer has been on a roll this generation, and it's apparently not stopping anytime soon. Judgment is an entirely standalone Yakuza spin-off that attempts to freshen up the formula by adding detective and courtroom elements to an already rich action...
Subscribe to Push Square on YouTube152k Watch on YouTube Review Vacation Simulator - It's a Jolly Holiday with You, Bot
Trip Ad-visor
We're sure the irony of taking a fake holiday within the confines of virtual reality isn't lost on Owlchemy Labs, a studio that revels in the absurdity of what it's making. Job Simulator was one of PlayStation VR's first games, a series of silly sandboxes stuffed with interactive objects and madcap characters. It's about as far from...
Review Samurai Shodown - SNK Delivers the PS4's Most Gripping Fighting Game
Blink and you'll miss it
Two masters of the sword stand face to face in a field, blades unsheathed and eyes unblinking. A blood red moon hangs in the air, and the silence is deadly. The tension is palpable, and as you feel that bead of sweat slowly trickle down the side of your head, you decide to make your move. With one quick step, you go for the...
Review F1 2019 - Solid But Evolutionary Formula One Driving Sim
The old F1-F2
F1 2019 is the next instalment in Codemasters’ hugely popular Formula One racing franchise, and it’s arriving nearly two months earlier in the calendar than the previous games. But with the addition of F2, a couple of racing legends, and a visual polish, does this entry take franchise pole position? Fire up a race in F1 2019 as a...
Review Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled - An Unapologetically Retro Racing Revival
Resolution wump
On a lot of levels, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is a resounding success. This Beenox recreation of the 20-year-old original looks and sounds fantastic, and it plays just like it did back in the day. For fans, it's about as good a remake as you could hope for, but we're not quite convinced that a prettified retread is enough of a...
Review Luna - A Sweet, Meditative PSVR Excursion
By the light of the silvery moon
Every now and again, it's nice to just play a game that makes you smile. In between all the games about shooting and killing and gore, there are games that are just so unabashedly sweet that you can't help but grin as you play them. Enter Funomena's Luna, a PlayStation VR puzzler that tells a tale about connectedness...
Adult entertainment
At the beginning of Larry Laffer’s latest adventure, you can prompt seedy barkeep Lefty for information on the current era. One of his many responses is the revelation that “people don't play point and click adventures anymore, they play games with exploding candies instead”. Throughout Crazy Bunch Studio’s revival of...
Review Mini-Mech Mayhem - Silly Turn-Based Strategy from the Makers of Velocity
Go ahead, Mech my day
PlayStation VR really is a treasure trove of new ideas, and FuturLab’s latest is certainly just that. The developer of the excellent Velocity 2X has brought multiplayer turn-based strategy to the platform, and while it isn’t without its issues, it offers something wholly unique. Mini-Mech Mayhem begins with customising an...
Review Super Neptunia RPG - Only You Can Save the Gamindustri
2D console wars
Things have definitely changed since the last time we visited the land of Gamindustri (yes, that’s really what the world is called). For one thing, everything is now in 2D which, according to the locals, is the height of modern gaming technology. Super Neptunia RPG is a spin-off from the Hyperdimension Neptunia games, a super cute...
Review Effie - A Charming Concept That Feels Much Too Easy
Young at heart
Effie is a Disney-esque 3D action-adventure packing all the cliché tropes of a bog standard fairy tale. It meshes together traditional elements of the genre with expanded, enchanting environments to explore, all of which dazzle and ooze with charm. You follow the story of Galand who ventures far and wide across the region of Oblena,...
Review Contra Anniversary Collection - A Good But Repetitive Package of Retro Shooters
If it moves, shoot it
Continuing Konami’s trend of 50th anniversary celebration compilations, Contra Anniversary Collection storms into battle with ten classic side scrolling shooters. Well, five, actually. The collection includes three variations of the original, and three other titles that double up with different console ports. Having the...
Review Super Blood Hockey - Streets of Rage Meets Ice Hockey
Bloody H.E. Double Hockey Sticks
When it comes to hockey games on the PlayStation 4, it’s relatively slim pickings. 2K has been out of the game for quite a while now, and EA’s monopoly has resulted in each annual NHL release offering up mediocre titles that haven’t changed in a decade. Apart from that, there are a couple smaller arcade games:...
See you in hell
After being left slightly disappointed by Assassin's Creed Odyssey: The Fate of Atlantis - Episode 1, we needed Episode 2 to show us that the Eagle Bearer's journey through the underworld was only going to get better. The first episode was beautiful but ultimately a bit boring, and while Episode 2 does still plod along at times, it's...
Review DayZ - Far Too Little Far Too Late for the PS4's Worst Performing Game
Zzz
DayZ was a cultural phenomenon when it launched as a mod for ARMA 2 in mid-2012. As one of the first games to successfully implement survival elements and mechanics into its gameplay loop, it paved the way for an entirely new genre that is still just as popular today. That original experience was seven years ago though, and the world of video...
Review Warhammer: Chaosbane - Dull Diablo Clone Doesn't Deliver
Borehammer
Imagine a fantasy action role playing game in which you must guide a wizard or warrior on a heroic quest through dozens of wonderfully realised locales, battle a cavalcade of foul creatures, loot their rotten remains for rewarding new gear, and eventually go toe-to-toe with fearsome and challenging bosses. And then imagine you can play...
Review The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II - A JRPG Sequel that Delivers on Every Level
Smile like you Rean it
Sequels like The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II are a rarity these days. This lengthy, incredibly in-depth follow-up to the first game is essentially the second half of the story. Most of the key plot points that were set up in Trails of Cold Steel are fully explored here, with an absolutely massive cast of...
Review Sonic Mania - A Pixel Perfect Celebration of the Hedgehog's Heyday
To be this good takes AGES
Republished on Wednesday 29th May 2019: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of June's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. It still amazes us that SEGA would entrust its most famous creation to a group of fans. Should a team of enthusiasts really meddle with one of...
Review Borderlands: The Handsome Collection - All the Looting and Shooting You Could Ask For
Claptrap compilation
Republished on Wednesday 29th May 2019: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of June's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. It's becoming a familiar tale of late: a much loved game from the previous generation shows up on your new and shiny gaming apparatus, dressed up, and...
Review Unruly Heroes - Awesome Art Style Can't Hide Iffy Gameplay Issues
Beauty is only skin deep
The PlayStation 4 is not short on 2D platformers, but Unruly Heroes at least makes an attempt to stand out from the crowd. This action-focused side-scroller comes from independent developer Magic Design Studios, comprising partly of several ex-Ubisoft folks. That the game looks remarkably similar to Rayman Legends starts to...
Review Trover Saves the Universe - A Frenzied, F-Bomb Fuelled Fever Dream
Where do we even start
In a way, Trover Saves the Universe almost feels more like a Rick and Morty video game than Rick & Morty: Virtual Rick-ality. It shares the zany, off-the-wall humour of the popular show, but also its sense of adventure. You join the titular character on a journey across the cosmos to thwart an evil power, and no...
Review Blood & Truth - Confident Cockney Crime Drama Is a PSVR Dream
Marks man
As far as tech demos go, the London Heist – which launched as part of London Studio’s varied compilation disc PlayStation VR Worlds – was a convincing one. The short, hour-long crime drama effortlessly captured the potential of Sony’s pricey PSVR headset, demonstrating how it can enhance immersion, story-telling, and interactivity...
